My Best Beloved's birthday is the 12th, and she wanted my homemade eclairs instead of birthday cake. This recipe makes 14-16 smallish eclairs; half the recipe works fine.
Preheat oven to 375. Boil 1 cup water with 1/4 lb (1 stick) real butter. Remove from heat, dump in 1 cup all-purpose flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon. When it becomes a glob and leaves the sides of the pan, beat in one-at-a-time 3 eggs and the white of another (reserve the yolk). Place heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough on a nonstick cookie sheet (or pipe with a pastry bag), leaving a little space between. Bake until puffed up, crispy and golden.
While the puffs bake, heat ~2 cups milk almost to boiling in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. In a bowl, stir together 3 tbs flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt. Pour the hot milk into the flour mixture; stir to mix, pour back in pan. cook over med heat until thick, then stir in 2 tbs butter, the egg yolk (beat it with a little water first), and 2 tsp vanilla. Remove from heat.
When the pastries are cool enough to handle easily, slice off the tops with a serrated knife, scoop oout any of the interior that is still sticky. Fill the cavity with the filling and put the top back on.
in a very small saucepan, melt 2 tbs butter and a small handful of chocolate morsels (ghirardelli 60% cocoa are good) in 1/2 cup milk. beat til smooth, and drizzle from a spoon over the filled pastries. Eat while warm or briefly chill.
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special desserts
Date: 2/11/08 05:33 pm (UTC)Preheat oven to 375. Boil 1 cup water with 1/4 lb (1 stick) real butter. Remove from heat, dump in 1 cup all-purpose flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon. When it becomes a glob and leaves the sides of the pan, beat in one-at-a-time 3 eggs and the white of another (reserve the yolk). Place heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough on a nonstick cookie sheet (or pipe with a pastry bag), leaving a little space between. Bake until puffed up, crispy and golden.
While the puffs bake, heat ~2 cups milk almost to boiling in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. In a bowl, stir together 3 tbs flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt. Pour the hot milk into the flour mixture; stir to mix, pour back in pan. cook over med heat until thick, then stir in 2 tbs butter, the egg yolk (beat it with a little water first), and 2 tsp vanilla. Remove from heat.
When the pastries are cool enough to handle easily, slice off the tops with a serrated knife, scoop oout any of the interior that is still sticky. Fill the cavity with the filling and put the top back on.
in a very small saucepan, melt 2 tbs butter and a small handful of chocolate morsels (ghirardelli 60% cocoa are good) in 1/2 cup milk. beat til smooth, and drizzle from a spoon over the filled pastries. Eat while warm or briefly chill.
yum.